The Mech Touch novel Chapter 3211

Chapter 3211: First Blood

The mech arena could potentially accommodate a hundred-thousand Larkinsons. It could even host more if it erected extra floating stands that stacked on top of each other.

This was excessive, though. Perhaps it made sense to expand the capacity of the arena by that amount if the clan numbered a million people, but at the moment it barely surpassed 175,000 individuals.

Was that a lot? Certainly. Was it enough to justify stuffing more than half of them in a single location? Most definitely not! Who knew if a terrorist plotted to destroy the arena or the entire capital ship? Though the security forces along with the Black Cats were on full alert, no one could truly guarantee whether the site was safe.

It was bad practice to put too many eggs in a single basket. Drawing too many Larkinsons away from their posts also weakened the defense of the clan. There were less crewmembers on duty aboard important combat ships and less mech pilots to go on patrol.

Therefore, in order to give everyone a chance to attend the week-long ceremony, the clan only limited the attendance to 40,000 people at most. Everyone who wanted to witness the events would have the opportunity to do so but only for a couple of time slots spread out over multiple days.

The first batch overwhelmingly consisted of the former citizens of the Heavensword Association. Their enthusiasm for this ritual was the highest and they were critical to setting the tone of the entire event.

Indeed, as soon as Fred started to speak, their excitement already rose to an impressive height. Back in their former state, the sword community regularly held tournaments, exhibitions and events of all kinds. The citizens had been trained to look forward and enjoy these opportunities to see impressive swordsmen in action for generations!

"Ketis! Ketis! Ketis!"

"Dise! Dise! Dise!"

"Swordmaidens forever!"

Due to his difficult life experiences, the deputy director of the Annihilator Sword School easily maintained his composure. He had witnessed the best and worst of what humanity had to offer. Addressing a crowd of tens of thousands of spectators along with more than a hundred-thousand observers watching the internal broadcast was child's play.

He raised his arms, causing the crowd to quiet down again.

"Fellow Larkinsons. As you know, our clan's great mech designers are about to create one of the most important mechs of our lineup. Each and every expert mech designed by our prestigious Design Department are not only works of art, but living mechs in the truest sense of the word. I have had the privilege of approaching each and every expert mech including the latest one that is still waiting to be unveiled and I came away completely convinced of their superiority. With the crucial aid of our great and generous clan patriarch, even a single of our expert mechs is already better than the best expert mech of the Heavensword Association!"

The audience cheered at this wild and exaggerated boast!

"I have witnessed many smartly-designed expert swordsman mechs over my long life." Fred stated in a softer tone. "I have spent many hours admiring my deceased brother's expert mech. Its designers have done a good job at matching it to my brother's piloting style. Yet I always felt that there was something missing from his expert mech. In fact, when I observed the other expert mechs developed by the Heavensword Association's mech industry, I also gained the impression that they were missing a crucial element. Do you know what they are lacking?"

The audience stayed silent, but many of them already formed educated guesses.

Fred unsheathed his personal weapon from his waist. The saber looked plain and unassuming. However, knowledgeable swordsmen could already tell it was a fine quality blade that the director had lovingly owned and used for several decades.

"It is just like my Steen. The swordsmiths who forged this blade are excellent at their craft and understand the construction of swords and sabers like no one else, yet whenever I gaze upon my weapon, I cannot deny it suffers from an intrinsic flaw. The swordsmiths only understand one side of a weapon. They spent so much time and effort on learning how to master the craft of forging a sword that they have never been able to wield them or use them as effectively as actual swordsmen!"

Fred directed a rueful smile towards his Steen as he brought it forward so that the flat of its blade mirrored his eyes.

"Does that make me hate my weapon? No. Every blade is precious. A true swordsman should love every sword indiscriminately regardless of the individual faults they might have. It is their skill that should determine whether they are worthy of recognition."

Fred slowly sheathed his Steen.

"However, I cannot deny that a good weapon can be crucial to swordsmen. We love our weapons. They are more than tools to us. They are our partners and our lifesavers. Just look at the Heavensword Saint himself. For generations, the Heavensword has continually passed on from one swordmaster to another. As soon as a new Heavensword Saint takes office, they always explode in strength and quickly become the strongest swordsman of the galactic rim without any dispute!"

The old man swept behind him. The mech designers had already begun to fabricate the first parts at the open workshop.

"The Heavensword is shrouded in mystery. Who forged this epic sword? How was it made? It is clear that the ancient swordsmith who crafted this relic weapon was better than any other smith in our former state. Despite thousands of years of development, the swords forged by the greatest swordsmiths are still lacking compared to the works of the greatest master swordsmiths."

The man looked grim for a moment before his lips slowly curled into a grin. "What if I tell you that this is no longer the case? Rejoice, Larkinsons! For the first time in history, we are graced by the existence of a mech designer who is simultaneously a bona fide swordmaster!"

A large projection appeared over his head that showed Ketis at her greatest. Her legendary tournament match against Sword Initiate Ivan Reid played out. The older version of her Bloodsinger flowed with power as she fought with power that was far beyond that of any average soldier!

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